Naruto packed everything his clone separated and got ready to go. There was only one thing he wanted to do. He opened the fox summoning contract and wrote down his name.
He gathered enough chakra to summon the boss and did the hand signs. With a puff of smoke, he came face to face with a beautiful and tall woman. She had long and a bit spiky red hair. Red-slitted eyes and pale skin.
She was wearing an expensive red kimono with a fox design all over it. She also had fox ears and a fox tail. Her name was Akira, and she was the boss of the fox summons.
Fox summons were really special. They were immortal when it came to aging, and when they reached adulthood, they could transform into human forms. While they could hide the ears and tail, they rarely did so out of pride.
They were wise, loyal, and pacifist and tended to avoid conflicts. They also made a point of learning human arts. They could use chakra quite adeptly and most specialized in different shinobi arts.
In the past, they became bonded with the Uzumaki clan. They used to inhabit the island just like average citizens, which was how they learned sealing arts. In return for Uzumaki's hospitality, they gave them the summoning contract.
The Uzumaki respected them and never called them to battle. When Uzushio was attacked, the Uzukage sent them all back to their realm and hid the scroll.
Naruto looked into Akira's eyes, and from the look, she was giving him, she remembered everything. The first time around, Kurama was the one who told Naruto about the fox summons, and since Naruto had lost the toad summoning at the time, it was an honor for him to find a contract.
They had theorized that there was a possibility for this to happen since summoning contracts were a space-time jutsu, and by sending Naruto back in time, his summons would follow suit.
"Akira-sama, it is so nice to meet you again." Naruto bowed deeply.
"You idiot kit, how many times should I tell you to drop the honorifics? If it wasn't for that old fox who is so possessive over you, I would make you call me ka-chan." She continued to rant about ungrateful brats, not calling upon them in so long.
Naruto explained the situation quickly. They made it back in time, but he lost the contract, so he had to come to Uzushio to sign it again. In the end, after some more fussing, she finally calmed down.
"Fine kit, you are forgiven but don't forget the offerings to the Inari shrine. Now that everything is in order, I am not leaving you alone. You must take Kuro with you for the time being, and I won't take no for an answer." She said with a tone of authority.
Kuro was an adult fox but often liked to keep his fox form. He was Akira's youngest son. He was usually serious and specialized in information gathering. Naruto learned most of his skills in these areas from him.
Akira unsummoned herself and sent Kuro. After a short reunion, they exited the tower. Naruto found Shisui nearby. He was trying to salvage something that looked like clothing from an old building.
When Shisui saw Naruto, he immediately went to check on him." Are you hurt? You look pale. Is everything ok?..." he continued questioning while he was inspecting Naruto.
"I'm alright. Just a little light-headed. Can you help me to camp?" Naruto asked.
"Who is the fox, by the way?" Shisui asked as he picked Naruto on his back.
"He is Kuro. He is my fox summon. I found the contract in the building. Apparently, they only sign contracts with Uzumakis." Naruto said as Kuro gave a nod of acknowledgment.
When they got to the camp, Shisui sat him down by the fire and gave him some sweet tea. He sent a clone to inform others. Naruto rested his head on Shisui's shoulder and rested for a while.
Since he started interacting with people outside of ROOT, he developed some childish urges. Kurama said it's natural. Although he had a mind of an adult, the hormones and body of a child could affect his actions.
When others arrived, Naruto opened his eyes and yawned. They all sat next to the fire for Naruto to start talking. Naruto gave them a short report of his findings and the building.
At one point, Kuro went on Kakashi's lap for a nap out of habit, which shocked everyone. Poor Jonin was too shocked to do anything about it, so he accepted his fate.
When Naruto answered all their questions, it was time to give their gifts. He gave them the swords. They were a matching set. Both had black sheaths with red marble patterns. The red marble pattern would shine and move to give the effect of liquid lava.
"These reminded me of you guys. They have a few seals on them. There isn't anything dangerous. There is a self-sharpening and anti-aging seal, plus a few preservation seals on the sheath. There is also one to prevent noise when you pull it out or put it in." They pulled the blades out at this point, and they were black with a red line in the middle.
"There are more seals on the blade. Some are for durability and strength. There is one to help get the blood off as well. The metal is strong too, and you can channel any chakra nature through it due to the seals." Naruto said.
"Naruto, are you sure you can give it to us?" Itachi asked.
"Of course. I am officially the Uzumaki clan head since I became a chunin, and I can even participate in council when I take my Jonin exam. These are a part of Uzumaki clan belongings so that I can give them to you."
"Also, I am certain that they are safe to use; otherwise, I wouldn't give them to you," Naruto said, blushing a bit.
Shisui put his sword down and pulled Naruto into a hug. "My little brother is so kind and generous. What did I do to deserve such a good brother."
Naruto struggled to get out of the bear hug, but Shisui was strong when he wanted to be. In the end, Itachi took pity when Naruto turned blue. He gave Naruto a hair ruffling and thanked him.
"I thought I was going to die. How can you be such a brute? I won't give you your other gift then." Naruto said with a fake pout.
"WHAT? I HAVE MORE GIFTS. Come on, Naruto-chan. I know you love your nii-chan." Shisui said as he tried to tickle Naruto.
"Fine. Fine. Do you remember a few months ago when you registered for a summoning contract?" Naruto said as Shisui nodded.
Naruto handed him the summoning scroll. "Well, this is the summoning contract for sparrows. And before you say anything, I don't take no as an answer, so you have to take it. I already have the fox contract. It doesn't make sense to sign a second one."
Shisui relented after some more reassurance. He finally signed his name in the contract and did the hand signs. With a puff of smoke, there was a red sparrow in front of them.
"Hey, who are you? Are you our new summoner? Are you strong? Are you a ninja? What's your favorite color? Do you like to play tag?" the bird asked in one breath as he flew around Shisui in all directions.
"I'm Shisui. Yes. I believe so. Yes. Green. I love tag." Shisui answered, which impressed Naruto since he didn't even have the time to think about the questions.
They continued to talk, but Naruto got up and went to Kakashi. Naruto held out what looked like a kunai and shuriken holsters to Kakashi." What is this?" He asked.
"they are holsters. They have a built-in storage seal so that you can fit about five times the normal ones. Plus, since they are using seals, they won't weigh heavier. I wanted to thank you for coming with us on this mission."
"I know the Hokage sent you on this mission, but still, I want to thank you," Naruto said with a slight blush. He always had a soft spot for his ex-sensei.
Kakashi looked at them for a moment before taking them and ruffling Naruto's head. Naruto gave him a genuine smile. Naruto then picked the sleeping Kuro off Kakashi and called an early day.
He woke up late at night. His stomach was growling, so he wanted to eat a little. He saw Kakashi awake as well, sitting by the fire. Naruto sat beside him, unsealing some stuff to make tea and his lemon tart.
"Is everything alright, Hatake-san?" Naruto asked politely.
"I'm alright. I was thinking about the past, and please call me Kakashi. Hatake-san makes me feel old." He said.
"Yes, Kakashi-san. Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes getting things out can be helpful." Naruto said.
"I thought ROOT agents were emotionless," Kakashi said.
"Well, I am not a normal agent. I was always meant to become the next leader. Our emotions hold great significance. Without emotions to rely on, we are no different from puppets."
"A tool for someone else to wield. I was taught to control my emotions and be in charge of them, but I was never taught to eliminate them. I am grateful for that."
"Don't get me wrong, I am still a part of the ROOT and proud to defend my home and its people, yet it is such a beautiful thing to get this opportunity to do so while I also have the ability to feel emotions."
"Sometimes it scares me. What if one day I become a hindrance because of my emotions? It terrifies me. I don't want to hurt the people important to me because of my selfish desire to feel."
"But I can't help but become selfish when I am with my friends. Everyone is so kind to me. They always do their best to make me happy. I guess it just makes me lucky. Still, every day I owe it to them to push myself harder and go further. To become stronger to protect them."
"To me, they are everything, and I would never hurt them. So I must make sure to be in control of these emotions that were gifted to me and also enjoy them to the fullest." Naruto said.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-chan. I didn't mean to offend you. It's just refreshing to see an agent with emotions. It is easy to forget that you are just a kid, after all." Kakashi said.
"NARUTO-CHAN? What? Hey, you can't call me that. I'm not a little kid." Naruto said with a pout.
"Oh, but you are just a chibi. You look so cute and squishy. No wonder Shisui-kun always hugs you." Kakashi said as he grabbed the mug of tea from Naruto and some desserts.
"Now that's just bullying. I am seven and a chunin. I am also a seal master. I am not a chibi," Naruto said, mumbling about mean old men.
Kakashi just laughed at him. They talked a bit more but went to sleep soon after so they could go back in the morning.
Naruto knew that Kakashi needed the talk. In his previous life, the only thing that kept him from being downright suicidal was protecting Naruto. But in this life, he believed his sensei's son to be dead.
Naruto wasn't entirely sure how he was holding now, so he wanted to ensure that he was fine. The best way to do so was to get closer to him.
The trip back was mostly uneventful. Shisui was so happy about having a summoning contract that he kept summoning different sparrows and raced them on their way back.
Naruto had high stamina and exceptional abilities for his age, but his physical body was not as durable. One night before reaching Konoha, Itachi saw that his feet were covered in blisters and swollen from the constant chakra needed for shunshin.
Kurama was dealing with the mental effects of the seal they used in Uzushio, so he couldn't heal Naruto. Naruto himself was feeling the effects on his chakra control, so he couldn't use iryojutsu.
So after a long lecture from Itachi about the importance of self-care and speaking up when he was hurt, he finally agreed to get a piggyback from Kakashi for the last day.